In the early days after the World Break, players correctly assumed that the four main job classes corresponded to ranged magical attack (scholar), close ranged physical and magical attacks (rogue), all-around physical attack and defense (fighter), and ranged physical attacks (sharpshooter).
But as time went on, they realized that each job class had different specialties that changed as players leveled up. Fighters’ skills evolve as they level up, allowing for versatility when it comes to skill use. Hunters’ have skill proficiencies which require mastering certain skills as prerequisites before learning later skills.
But the scholar’s class and existence of the spell pool meant that while scholar’s could learn a nearly unlimited number of spells as long as they possessed the MP and mana proficiency to do so. In theory, a level 14 scholar could cast [lightning storm] as well as a level 50 [wizard]. Of course, they were less likely to cast it properly and there was a good chance they’d kill themself in the process. There was no substitute for experience.
Willow had dedicated her youth to learning as much as she could about the different job classes. Instead of spending all her time exploring dungeons and fighting monsters, she’d spent hours studying strategy and the player meta. Of course, her preference to read rather than fight raised eyebrows. More than anything, it led to whispers from her fellow cadets.
“Everyone else is training in the field,” they would say. “What makes her different?”
They knew that cadets needed to train in the field. They knew that reliable adventurers needed to know how to hunt in parties. And they knew that cadets who didn’t have enough experience in the field didn’t get sponsored by clans.
Of course, she heard the whispers. And she knew that it wasn’t just the cadets, but some of the instructors who turned their nose up at her. For not doing her part. For not fitting in.
But Willow knew things, too. Willow knew that most cadets worked for years before they could join a guild. Willow knew that most cadets choose their job class based on popular trends, based on what others were or weren’t doing. And most of all, Willow knew she didn’t want to be like the other cadets.
***
“That means while the boy’s class might be unique, it isn’t much different from a fighter’s class, is it?”
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Jinyoung bristled. After a long day of grueling training, the party had returned to the abandoned resort. Hana and Dae spent the majority of the day overseeing their exhausted young wards. Not to mention, Jinyoung was getting sick of being called “boy” every few minutes. But…
QUEST: The Path of INNER STRENGTH (I)
OBJECTIVE: Deal 10,000 DMG with CHARGED attacks.
Current progress: Complete
REWARD: [CHARGE+]
New (+) ASPECT Unlocked!
[CHARGE] is now [CHARGE+].
The PLAYER enters a [CHARGED] state for up to 1 minute.
While [CHARGED+], all PLAYER STATS are increased including AGILITY and all PLAYER debuffs are removed.
Dae’s training regimine, exhausting and ridiculous as it was, had directly led to him completing one of his class quests. Unfortunately, his progress on the [dash] quest was less than he’d hoped.
QUEST: The Path of the WIND (II)
OBJECTIVE: Use [DASH+] to move across 10,000 km of distance
Current Progress: 1.9 km (0.02%)
REWARD: New ASPECT
“What’re you staring at, boy?”
Dae had interrupted his conversation with Hana to intrude on Jinyoung’s thoughts.
“He means well, Jinyoung,” Hana cautioned. The shield knight had a lot of respect for the old fighter, but she knew enough to see that Jinyoung was barely keeping his growing anger in check.
Instead of responding, Jinyoung chose the safer option and changed the subject. “How’s your protege doing, Hana?”
Willow’s trials weren’t as straightforward as Jinyoung’s. The onion knight class required hard work and repetition, whereas a scholar’s spells were one part concentration and one part control.
“Willow’s made some headway learning to focus her mana. If she keeps this up, she’ll be able to cast basic spells in a few days.”
As if to show her progress, Willow focused her mana. With a thought she changed the elemental makeup to ice, then fire, then produced a sharp burst of light before it faded all together.
image [https://imgur.com/pvuK2Q3.jpg]
“Looks good to me,” the fighter grumbled.
“It isn’t,” Willow huffed out. It had taken an entire day just to hold the mana in her hand for longer than a second. Now, she could hold for as long as she had mana.
“It’s hard to know how much mana to use and how to control it. If I knew how much mana it required to stabilize the mana in my hand, I could start casting spells tomorrow. But I can’t know, unless I’ve gotten it exactly right. So for now, I just have to keep trying until-”
“Wait.”
Jinyoung’s eyes narrowed.
“Willow, could you do that again?”